Green Energy Impact

Carbon Reduction through running cooler

Data centres are the fastest-growing sector of energy usage in the UK, accounting for approximately 2% of electricity demand. Approximately half the energy used in existing centres powers computers; the other half is used to keep this equipment cool. Data centres typically operate around 18 – 22ºC, although industry guidelines permit operation up to at least 26ºC. Most run much cooler than is necessary because they have limited visibility of hotspots and need some headroom to respond to any overheating.

Energy savings in the order of 20% across the sector may be possible through reduced cooling. This is enabled using an innovative temperature monitoring technology which allows managers to raise overall temperatures in a safe and controlled manner, without creating dangerous hotspots.

Standard industry calculations assume a 4% energy saving for each 1ºC temperature increase. A medium size data centre will consume around 2 megawatts of per hour, generating an annual electricity bill of several million pounds. For a typical 20,000 sq ft facility, a 5ºC increase in base operating temperature could yield annual carbon savings approaching 850 tonnes of CO2, with electricity savings in the region of £130,000. Replicated across the UK the financial saving could exceed £400 million pa with a potential annual carbon impact of 2.6 million tonnes.

Further Carbon Savings from energy re-use

In addition to saving energy by running hotter, advanced data centres are now re-using heat energy from server halls to provide heating for other parts of the facility, or export for use by third parties. See how this can help reduce overall carbon emissions, reduce electricity spend, and contribute to good green management practices.